By Ron Wynn NASHVILLE, TN — Regina Hall has amassed lots of credit as both a successful comedic performer and a solid dramatic one. Now she’s enjoying another role: co-host. She’ll be joining Wanda Sykes and Amy Schumer Sunday night when the trio make history as the first all-women group to host the Oscars. It’s been a steady rise for Hall, a Washington D.C. native. She made her screen debut playing an exotic dancer in1999’s “The Best Man.” Next came a role in 2000’s “Scary Movie.” Hall’s comedic profile continued growing as she was in the casts of such films…
Author: Ron Wynn
Auto racing has never been among the most diverse sports, with NASCAR in particular not having a great record for attracting or recruiting either Black drivers or audience. For decades the other Black driver to have any impact in NASCAR was the late Wendell Scott, who was both their first full-time African American driver and first to win a Cup series race in 1963. Scott dealt with racist treatment and fan indifference throughout his lifetime, but was recognized for his importance to the sport with induction into the Hall of Fame in 2015. His life was also dramatized in the…
By Ron Wynn NASHVILLE, TN — The Tennessee Volunteers ended a 43-year SEC Tournament drought Sunday, defeating Texas A&M 65-50 in Tampa, Florida and clinching a number three seed in the NCAA Tournament. They’ll be heading to Indianapolis for a game Thursday against 14th seeded Longwood. They will be 17-point favorites in that one. Should they win, their next game would be against the winner of the game matching sixth seed Colorado State and 11th seeded Michigan. The Vols have never reached the Final Four and have only made the Elite Eight once, but their path on paper looks easier…
By Ron Wynn NASHVILLE, TN — The Oscar Awards will have a new look this year. It’s being hosted by three women for the first time. One of them, Regina Hall, says she’s willing to satirize and roast some of her peers. “We’re really excited to celebrate film and make fun of people, too,” Hall told Variety last week. Hall’s also appearing in the new horror film “Master,” which opens Friday. She added, “I was like, ‘Do you think we’re going to have friends after?’ No, we’re going to. Hopefully everyone will know anything that’s said or done, it’s all…
By Ron Wynn NASHVILLE, TN — After departing NPR, former Nashville-based, award-winning journalist Audie Cornish will be among the hosts featured on CNN’s new streaming service CNN Plus, which debuts March 29. She will be hosting a weekly program, a new podcast, and also is expected to appear on CNN covering national, political and breaking news. “I am very excited to join CNN and the CNN Plus team. There are fresh stories to be told and new ways to tell them,” said Cornish, who was a co-host of NPR’s popular “All Things Considered,” in a prepared statement. “CNN has a…
When Tennessee State University joined the Ohio Valley Conference in 1988, it was widely hailed as a breakthrough and positive step for an HBCU. The Tigers had been an independent between 1916 and 1987, but the move was seen by many as a smart strategic one because it provided a way for the Tigers to compete for an NCAA Tournament berth in basketball, challenge for a national title in football on a lower level, and save money on transportation costs because the trips were predominantly either local or regional. But there’s now widespread discussion and sentiment that it’s time for…
By Ron Wynn NASHVILLE, TN — The Vanderbilt Commodores ended the regular season with a victory Saturday, defeating Ole Miss 63-61 in Oxford to even their season record at 15-15 (7-11 in the SEC). Despite going for a long stretch without scoring, Scotty Pippen Jr. still led the way for Vanderbilt with 22 points and six assists. But the Commodores’ win wasn’t secured until James White missed a runner at the buzzer for Ole Miss that would have sent the game into overtime. Pippen got help from Jordan Wright, who finished with 14 points and 11 rebounds. Liam Robbins came…
By Ron Wynn NASHVILLE, TN — Kool and the Gang have been a musical mainstay since their1969 self-titled debut album. They have skillfully explored and played many musical styles throughout their lengthy career, from jazz and soul to funk, even pop and rock. Their list of honors and awards include two Grammys, seven American Music Awards, and a 2006 Music Business Association Chairman’s Award, as well as induction into the New Jersey and Vocal Group Halls of Fame, A Soul Train Legend and Marian Anderson Awards, and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. But they’re far from ready…
By Ron Wynn NASHVILLE, TN — Despite some initial fears. Zoe Kravitz is getting rave reviews for her role as Selina Kyle and her Catwoman alter ego in Matt Reeves’s “The Batman,” which opened last week to a $112 million plus debut. But the actress acknowledges that her DC debut came about a decade later than anticipated. She told the British publication The Observer that she was passed over for a role in 2012’s “The Dark Knight Rises,” the final installment in director Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy. Kravitz, who is biracial, said she was turned down for an audition because…
Sometimes institutions can be saved from themselves and errors corrected before any serious harm is done. That’s been the case at Grambling State, which last week was being universally criticized for its new head football coach Hue Jackson’s decision to hire former and disgraced Baylor head coach Art Briles as his offensive coordinator. Briles had left Baylor after an ugly series of events at Baylor concerning his mishandling of multiple sexual assault allegations and incidents. Jackson had seemed oblivious to the national wave of criticism aimed at both him and Grambling State, but Monday he was taken off the hook.…